GOT7 – 7 For 7 (EP Stream)

In our review of Flight Log: Arrival we noted that GOT7 decided to take a slightly cooler approach to their production with that project, going for slightly less hip-hop and bop-pop tracks interlaced with a few songs that amp the energy up. This time, there isn’t really an Out or a Q and the production is dialed back in terms of tempo and style even more. For some groups that would be an absolute disaster, but GOT7 surprised up and stepped up to the plate.

Because less hype production means there has to be more of an emphasis on the vocals and they managed to show out this time around. In the past, one could say that the GOT7 had some okay vocals overall but that they depended on JB and the rap line to carry them. We saw some of that fall away with the Flight Log series, but it’s complete gone this time around. Every member manages to hold their own in the solos and the harmonies sound a lot more full group and they don’t have to depend on the rap line to bring energy to the slower tracks. There are still a few issues, most notably that some of the higher register notes seem to be a little hard for a couple of the members hit on songs like Remember Me, but those moments don’t account for a lot and don’t take you out of the mood.

Lyrically, this is probably their strongest project yet. It should also be noted that this probably the least English-infused set they’ve put out and we don’t think this a coincidence. It makes sense they are more comfortable with metaphor and illusions in their own language. We lost a few things because of cultural difference, but this is never an issue for us and made us really curious about what we are missing.

In the end, this album seems to be about the growth the group as a unit and it really shows in how well they work together on the non-visual aspect this time around. We don’t think this is going to be a concept series like the previous EPs, but we are interested in seeing where they go from here.

Our favorite tracks are Moon U, Teenager, and To Me. The most skippable tracks are Face, because the production just makes it fade into the background, and Remember Me, because it shows the most imbalance between the vocal abilities.